Western Prairie Fringed Orchid - Meet The Endangered
Western Prairie Fringed Orchid (Platanthera praeclara)
The North American tallgrass prairie ecosystem once dominated the middle part of the continent, comprising a 170-million-acre inland sea of extremely biodiverse grassland. Today, 99% of it is gone. Humans replaced these verdant waves of vein with one invasive species in particular - Zea mays - known locally as ‘corn’.
Within the remaining 1% resides the Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, a handsome flower whose ambrosial luster feeds the soul rather than the belly. It is a fickle plant; hiding out as a tuber and waiting only for the perfect conditions to sprout. It emits its orchidaceous scent only at night, to attract one particular family of moth which serves as its pollinator.
Restoring American grasslands to their former glory remains a distant prospect. Efforts to conserve the orchid focus on reconstituting small patches, safeguarding the pollinating moths, and combating invasive species.
IUCN: Endangered (EN)
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